Security and Ethical Challenges

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Chapter 12

• Security and Ethical Challenges
• of Information Systems

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Security and Controls

• Security and controls are a managers
  responsibility
• Used to ensure accuracy, integrity, etc
• E commerce businesses increase the need for tight
  security and controls

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Security Requirementsfor e-commerce

• 1. Privacy
• 2. Authenticity
• 3. Integrity
• 4. Reliability
• 5. Blocking

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Major Types of Controls

• There are three categories of controls for
  e-commerce and information systems
• Information System controls
• Procedural controls
• Facility controls

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IS controls

• Used to ensure the accuracy, validity, and
  propriety of information system activities
• Input controls - necessary to ensure that data
  types are correct, formats are correct etc
• Usually some sort of transaction audit trail,
  batch total, hash totals (addition of characters
  in a field correct to spec)

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Processing Controls

• Identification of incorrect processing is
  essential to good information system use
• Hardware controls ensure that the electronic
  portion of the processing function is correct
• Software controls ensure that the logic is
  correct, input files are correct, destination
  files are writing correctly
• Output controls ensure that reports are correct,
  complete, are going to the correct destination

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Storage Controls

• Storage controls ensure data integrity, data
  security, user authentication, user authorization
• Naming conventions
• Backup files
• Generation data groups

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Facility Controls

• Protection of hardware, software, network
  resources
• Network security
• System security applications - software that
  monitors usage, users
• Encryption - Organized method of scrambling data
  packets being transmitted over a network

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Network Security cont

• Firewalls - An electronic security guard at the
  front end of the network
• Best to use separate hardware components
• Requires a software component
• Can deter and slow down unauthorized use and
  access
• Can be configured to meet users needs

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Physical security

• Computer centers need to be behind locked doors
• Biometric security devices are becoming more
  available and viable
• Failure controls - needed to minimize
  interruptions due to power outages, hardware
  malfunctions, etc

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Procedural controls

• Outlines standards of operation
• Documentation
• Requirements for authorization of users
• Disaster recovery planning - what to do in
  emergencies
• End user control

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Auditing Information Systems

• There is a need for internal and external audits
  of an organization
• There are two ways to effect this task using
  information systems
• Audits through the system - verification of all
  aspects of IS including programs
• Audits around the system - verification of data
  and output
• Audit trails/control logs

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Ethical and Societal Challenges of IT

• There are multiple challenges in the business
  world that involve ethics
• IT increases the ethical considerations
• Many ethical philosophies and models that shape
  our ethical makeup

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IT and employment

• Introducing information technology into an
  organization can create and eliminate jobs
• Reduction in individuality - automated processes
  minimize individual influence
• This creates some loss of identity in workers
• Computerized monitoring

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Privacy Issues

• Computerized work monitoring has been scrutinized
  as invading privacy
• E-mail privacy issues
• Assembling unauthorized data files on individuals
• Tracking via electronic trails

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Internet Privacy

• The Internet is not as anonymous as most would
  want to believe
• Cookies
• Anonymous remailers allow for newsgroup postings
  through a third party
• Spamming - Unsolicited emails
• Flaming - Verbal attacks, threats via bbs,
  newsgroups

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Internet crime

• Theft of service
• Software theft
• Alteration of online databases
• Malicious hacking
• Virus problems

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Employee health issues

• Although computer users are not subject to on the
  job injuries like a machine worker would be,
  there are some definite health issues
• Cumulative trauma disorders such as carpal tunnel
  syndrome are common among heavy users

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Health issues cont

• Exposure to radiation
• Ergonomic considerations

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You and ethical responsibility

• Responsible for ethical use and decisions
• Think about societal ramifications in decision
  making
• Character is what you do when no one is looking